Tilting attachment for vehicle-tops.



N0. 765,624. PATENTED JULY 19, 1904.

D. W. LEONARD.

TILTING ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLE TOPS.

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I WITNESSES: Iv VENTOI? Janie! )ifleanaz'd" BY M 220 ATTOHNE rs No,765,624. 'PATENTED JULY 19, 1904.

- V D. W. LEONARD.

-TILTINB ATTACHMENT FOR VBHIGLETOPS. 4 Arrmoumn FILED 001x29, i903. uoMODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES: IN VENTOH I fianzZi/flearzard A 7'TORNE rs UNITED STATESPatented July 19, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL W. LEONARD, OF NEAR HURN, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOAUSTIN ZENKNER, OF CENTRALIA, WASHINGTON.

TILT ING ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLE-TOPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 765,624, dated July 19,1904.

Application filed October 29, 1903. Serial No. 178,967. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern;

Be it known that I, DANIEL WEBSTER LEON- ARD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing near Hurn, in the county of Lewis and State ofWashington, have invented a new and Improved Tilting Attachment for theTops of Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

The object of this invention is to provide a novel simple attachment forthe foldable tops of vehicles that may be readily applied thereto andwhich affords convenient and reliable means for instantly raising orlowering the foldable top and when the top is quickly lowered cushionsits descent so as to prevent jar and injury to the prop-braces, bows, orother parts of the top.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination ofparts, as is hereinafter described, and defined in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a side view of the invention, showing parts folded. Fig. 2is a plan View of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan View of detailsof the invention, the position of which is indicated by the arrow as inFig. 2.

Fig. A is a like view of details at the opposite side of the vehicleseen opposite the arrow at in Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a side view of avehicle seat and top and of the improvement mounted thereon.

In the drawings that illustrate the construction and application of theinvention, A represents a vehicle-seat of ordinary boxstyle, havingopposite sides A and a back board A erected on the side and rear edgesof the seatboard A for the retention of a seat-cushion, as usual, oneside piece appearing in Fig. 5. Upon the upper edges of thecushion-guard walls A A a metal top rail is mounted and secured that isformed with two side members 5 5, which are spaced apart parallel witheach other by the back rail member 5, as is shown in Fig. 2.

At the front ends of the rail members 5 two similar arms 5 are formed bycurving the material upwardly, these arms terminating at their upperends in laterally-flattened bosses at, from which outwardly andoppositely project the pivot-studs 6. Near the arms 5 verticalperforations a are formed in the members 5 of the top rail, and likevertical perforations Z) are formed in the transverse member 5 atsuitable points, these perforations in the top rail affording means forattaching a seat-back E and its supporting-arms E upon the top rail ofthe seat.

The folding top for the vehicle, as represented in Fig. 5, comprises assupports for the flexible covering B the bows O O O O that have theusual upright limbs formed integrally on arched portions thereof, thelimbs on one side of the vehicle appearing in Fig. 5. As is common inthe construction of folding tops for vehicles, two of the bow members(indicated by the characters O C are pivoted one above the other on thebow O and the latter is loosely mounted upon the pivot-stud 6 at thecorresponding side of the vehicle, and it is understood that the saidbows at the opposite side of the vehicle are in a like manner lapped andpivoted together for their support upon the remaining pivot stud 6,Whereon they are held by any suitable means.

The lower ends of the bow members O, one at each side of the vehicle,are bent toward and lapped upon the respectively adjacent limbs O andpivoted thereto. t the upper portions of the side members or limbs ofthe bows C O the ordinary braces D D, that are pivoted together, havetheir outer ends jointed thereon to hold the top erect, but permit thebows to fold toward each other when the vehicle-top is to be loweredrearwardly. The prop-braces O, one for each side of the vehicle-top,respectively, consist of two members that are jointed together, as at cin Fig. 5, and the upper end of each prop-brace is pivoted upon the rearend of the rear brace D, and, as indicated in Fig. 5, for one propbrace,the lower end thereof being held to rockupon a projection at the side ofthe rail member 5, which will be described.

The description that has been given may apply to the foldable tops forlight vehicles of various styles, it being a necessary preliminary toenable a clear understanding of the construction and relative disposalof details of the improvement, which are connected therewith as willappear in the subjoined description of the invention.

In the side members 5 of the top rail for the vehicle-seat two lateralperforations are formed oppositely and near the back member 5 of saidtop rail. In the perforations mentioned two similar journaled stub ends7 of a rock-shaft are loosely inserted, so as to project at each side ofeach member 5. The portions of the stub ends 7 that project toward eachother are slid into corresponding open ends of the hollow shaft-body'7and are therein secured by rivets, thus disposing the completedrock-shaft transversely of the top rail and projecting beyond each sidethereof for the reception of other parts of the device and to which thelower ends of the prop-braces C are pivoted. While the shaft 7 7 may beformed with a tubular body and with journal ends that are solid, asshown, it is to be understood that the transverse rock-shaft completemay be formed of a metal rod.

A tilting-arm 8 is mounted upon each end portion 7 of the rock-shaft 7at the inner side of a respective prop-brace C", and each tiltingarm mayhave a hollow hub (Z formed or secured thereon to facilitate the properfixture of said arms upon'the shaft ends 7, whereon the hubs are mountedand secured by any preferred means. The tilting-arms are of an equallength, and at the outer end of each arm two clasping-flanges e areformed, that are projected outwardly from the edges of the arm, and theflanges e on each tilting-arm receive between them the edges of anadjacent prop-brace 0*. The stub ends 7 of the shaft 7 are furnishedwith nuts f, that engage the threaded ends thereof and when screwedagainst the proper braces (3* prevent their outward movement on therock-shaft.

Upon the hub cl on one tilting-arm 8, preferably at the right side ofthe vehicle-seat, one end of a lever 9 is aflixed or, if preferred, thelever may be secured by said end upon the stub end 7 of the rock-shaftthat the lever is to rock, as may be required, and it will be seen thatwhen the lever inclines forwardly, as represented in Fig. 5, the bowsand the prop-braces C will be rocked into an erect position and the bowswill be disposed fanlike to distend the cover of the top. It will alsobe noticed that as the tilting-arms have clamped engagement at theirouter ends with the prop-braces at the lower members of the same therearward rocking movement of the lever 9 will correspondingly rock allthe bows rearward, owing to the clasped engagement of the arms 8 withthe prop-braces C, and cause the top to fold rearwardly, thus removingit from above the seat of the vehicle.

There are two bufler-arms 10, provided to cushion the rearward anddownward movement of the folding top, and, as shown, each buffer-armconsists of an elongated thin bar of resilient metal that is provided atthe forward end with a vertically-disposed ear g,

a formed by twisting the material, as indicated at g in Figs. 1 and 2,these ears 9, that are transversely perforated, being respectivelymounted upon one of the pivot-studs 6 and thereon held by any suitablemeans. The flat bodies of the buffer-arms 10 extend rearward above thehubs d of the tilting-arms 8 and may rest thereon, having clearance fromthe members 5 of the top rail and also from the tilting-arm on one sideof the vehicle and the lever 9 at the opposite side of the same. Theportions 10 of the buffer-arms 10 that extend rearward of the hubs (Zare curved so as to elevate their rear ends, as indicated in Figs. 1 and5, and on these rear ends similar flanges 7a are formed at the sideedges. The bufier-arms 10 are in the path of the limbs of the bows, andthe flanges 71 will clasp the edges of the rear bow C and hold the armssecured thereto.

It will be seen that when the lever 9 is quickly rocked rearward and thevehicle-top is thrown rapidly into folded condition the rearward fallingmovement of the top will be cushioned by the rear ends of the resilientbuffer-arms, so that no injury will result and the jar of impact will beabsorbed, thus preventing improper wear and breakage of the bows andbraces that connect them.

It will be apparent that the clasped engagement of the tilting-arms 10with the side members of the back how 0 will stiffen said members andprevent undue wear at the pivot connections of the back bow with therockshaft. Furthermore, the buffer-arms 1O prevent a side rattlingmovement of the back bow where they engage it, and thus coact with thetilting-arms 9 to keep the top from swaying sidewise when in foldedcondition, which is injurious and quickly loosens the pivot-joints ofthe bows as such parts are ordinarily constructed and connected with avehicle.

As the lever 9 is very conveniently positioned, the occupant of avehicle having the improvement can control the movement of the leverwhile seated in the vehicle, and if it becomes necessary for the safetyof one or more persons to be permitted to leave the vehicle at its sidesthe folding top if in elevated condition may be instantly thrown down,so as to be out of the way, by an upward rocking movement of the lever9.

Having thus described my invention,I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. The combination with a vehicle-seat and a foldabletop thereon, of a rock-shaft supported transversely on the seat,duplicate tilting-arms having lateral hubs respectively secured on therock-shaft near its ends, said arms having clasping-flanges on theirside edges at the outer ends, two jointed prop-bars having a lowermember of each prop-bar held to rock on a respective end of therock-shaft outside of the tilting-arm thereon, said propbar membersbeing clasped by the spaced flanges on the tilting-arms, and a leversecured upon the hub of one tilting-arm and thus adapted by rockingmovement to raise or lower the foldable top.

2. The combination with a vehicle-seat, a top rail on the top edges ofsaid seat extending to the front of its sides, and a foldable top heldto rock on the front ends of the top rail, of a rock-shaft journaled inthe side members of the top rail near their rear ends, and extendedlaterally therefrom, duplicate tiltingarms having hollow hubs that aresecured on the end portions of the rock-shaft outside of the top rail,two jointed prop-bars for the foldable top having the lower membersthereof mounted to rock on the ends of the rock-shaft outside of thetilting-arms, said arms having spaced flanges on their outer ends thatclasp the lower members of the prop-bars, and a lever secured on the hubof one tilting-arm near a side member of the top rail.

3. The combination with a vehicle-seat, a top rail thereon having armsat the front ends of its side members, pivot-studs projected laterallyfrom the free ends of said arms, and a foldable top having a pluralityof bows and top-prop braces, certain of which are pivoted on thepivot-studs, of a rock-shaft having extensions passing through oppositeperforations in the top rail member, two tilting-arms secured on theextensions and clasping the lower members of the prop-braces, a leversecured by one end upon one of said extensions, and two resilientbuffer-arms held by one end of each on a respective pivot-stud at thefront of the top rail, said arms extending rearward to rest on the hubsof the tilting-arms, and curving upward at their rear ends, for theiuplport of the back bow of the top of the ve- 4. The combination with avehicle-seat and a foldable top thereon, of two resilient bufferarmsheld at their forward ends on projections from the seat and extendingrearward at the sides of said seat, the rear ends of said bufferarmsbeing adapted to cushion the descent of the vehicle-top when it isfolded.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witness'es.

DANIEL w. LEONARD.

Witnesses:

GEO. C. ELLSBURY, GEO. DYSART.

